CROKE PARK stadium director Peter McKenna has admitted Hill 16 could be fenced off for future matches following last Sunday's pitch invasion before the end of the Leinster senior football final between Dublin and Wexford.

Pitch invasions at the Drumcondra venue have been common in recent years but McKenna admitted this new development - supporters racing onto the pitch before the final whistle - was "most concerning".

He admitted the "nuclear" option of wire-fencing the famous terrace to stop invaders was becoming much more likely following this latest incident.

"It was a small group of individuals who were intent on coming onto the pitch before the game was over," said McKenna.

"We need to take a proper assessment and we will be viewing RTÉ and CCTV footage to see how the issue started and arose.

"Then we can see if there is anything that we can put in place or do we consider fencing the Hill. Those people were intent on coming on and endeavouring to disrupt the game.

"That has implications for the safety of players and officials and all of these issues need to be looked at. We have to go through a couple of hours of videotape."

McKenna expressed concern too about "factions" developing in the Dublin support.

"A number of Dublin supporters were not happy with the people that ran on and were booing and letting them know what they thought," he said.

"That in itself is not helpful either in the long term because we don't want factions in the crowd.

"We have a bit of soul-searching to do but we shouldn't react in a draconian way to one incident. Let's get the facts straight first and see if we were short of stewards or was it something else.

"Hill 16, when it is full and buoyant as it was last Sunday, makes a fantastic contribution but there's no point in having that if someone could get hurt or if players feel intimidated or threatened. We take this issue very seriously."

Meanwhile, McKenna insisted this coming Sunday was set aside well in advance for some renovation of the Croke Park pitch.

The All-Ireland hurling quarter-finals have been fixed for Thurles and McKenna explained, "This Sunday was reserved for a Dublin-versus-Wexford replay but now there is a window of opportunity here - two weeks in mid-summer to give the pitch a gentle renovation.

"It will only improve it for the autumn."

The Limerick manager, Mickey Ned O'Sullivan, admits the three-goal hero Ian Ryan will be a marked man against Kildare in next weekend's All-Ireland SFC qualifier against Kildare at the Gaelic Grounds.

The brilliant St Senan's clubman blasted 3-7 past a shell-shocked Meath in last Saturday evening's sensational first-round victory and is, among other things, a prime target for the controversial Australian Rules scout Ricky Nixon.

O'Sullivan stated last week he expected Ryan to resist any Australian overtures but the teenager has been earmarked for forthcoming trials and his stock has now risen considerably.

O'Sullivan said, "The media will build him up but as far as I'm concerned, Ian has only started his apprenticeship as an intercounty footballer. He is still very young and has a lot to learn.

"He will be targeted the next day by the Kildare backs but it's a difficult pressure to put on a young lad who was one of 15 players that started and one of 20 who participated.

"He's a good, solid young lad with a mature head for his age. Hopefully the media don't build him up (excessively) because he's only starting out and people should leave him alone to learn the game."